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NXT TakeOver 31: Finn Balor vs. Kyle O'Reilly for the NXT Championship
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The NXT Championship main event between Finn Balor and Kyle O'Reilly was an absolute war. Both men came out highly motivated and delivered on lofty expectations heading into NXT TakeOver 31 to produce a fantastic closing match. This was what every NXT Championship match should give you.
The two men started this NXT TakeOver 31 encounter off tentative to establish control. We witnessed excellent technical wrestling from both men as well as focused in-ring psychology. Kyle O'Reilly looked to attack the leg of the champion with variations of the dragon screw wearing him down. He also used several different holds looking to get the submission win.
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Balor used his hard-hitting ability to strike O'Reilly with all his might. His mid kick to the gut winded Kyle and focused his attack on the rib cage of this match. A strike to the mouth led to Kyle bleeding from the bottom lip, which gave us a tremendous visual when Balor locked him in the sharpshooter. O'Reilly gave Balor a receipt late into this NXT TakeOver 31 battle with a knee that broke the jaw of the champion, forcing him to the hospital immediately following this brutal NXT Championship encounter.
In the end, Balor hit a series of standing foot stomps followed by the Coup De Grace from the top for the win. The abrupt finish withstanding, this delivered one of the best WWE matches of the entire year. This felt like a long, old school world title war that was bloody, hard-hitting and truly compelling from bell to bell. Balor vs. O'Reilly was the best NXT match of 2020 and gave us a fitting end to NXT TakeOver 31 in every way possible.
